The Date Game
by sutte-chi
Summary: Lucy promised Natsu a playtime, so Natsu planned a big surprising game for her the next day.


_A/N: Hey guys! This is my first story. I write this like, more than a year ago, but I lost the file and only recently found it. I purposely made Natsu OOC, so if you hate OOC Natsu, you might not like it. English is not my first language, so please pardon my writing.  
_

_This story took place just before the Grand Magic Game after meeting Jellal and his new guild._

©Hiro Mashima

"Lucy."

No answer.

"Lucy!"

She ignored him.

"Luce!"

"WHAT?!" She snapped.

Natsu has been bothering her all day, and now she just want to jump into a deep hole just to read her long-awaited novel. She was waiting for that novel to arrive since yesterday. And now when it has arrived, she has to deal with her idiot childish dragon slayer best friend.

"Let's go take a walk or something! I'm really bored!" Natsu complained childishly. "If you want to play, you can ask Erza or Cana or Lissana." She brushed him off. "But I want it to be you! Not anybody else." Natsu whined. "I want to read this novel. Can we just go tomorrow?" Lucy asked. "Awww... Alright!" Natsu gave in but accepted it anyway, as long as he can be with Lucy.

He would never admit it, but he understand things like crush, liking someone, or even love. He wasn't that dumb as everyone thought of him. He loves Lucy head over heels. And he knew it. At first, he ignores it, feeling wrong to have a crush on his best friend. But the feeling just keep growing, and now he's attach to her. He wants her to be his and his alone. He would send some hints sometimes, but Lucy always thought of it as a friendly interaction. And she said **he** was dense.

"Great. The sun has set, you should go back, Natsu. Happy would probably worry." The blonde said. "Aww… But I still want to be with you!" He whined. "Happy would be lonely and scared if you left him alone." Lucy tried to concentrate to her book. "He can just go here or to Wendy's place. I bet he's already there right now." Natsu persuade, so he can just stay with her. "Then I won't play with you tomorrow." Lucy said coldly. An Idea popped up to his head. "Alright... But don't let anything happened to you! See you on tomorrow's date then!" Natsu winked then jumped through the window. Lucy froze, stay dumbstrucked with face almost rivaled Erza's hair.

 _Date_ he said. _Did he really mean that? Does he even know what it meant?_ Questions keep piling up in her head as she stopped paying attention to her novel. _'He probably meant hanging out together. We often do that, didn't we? So it was just another_ 'hanging out with Natsu' _day. That's a normal occasion for me. It was never that kind of date.'_ She thought, or maybe assured herself. She shrugged it off and continues reading her novel. But she can't help to wondered to that thought with Natsu, he was grinning widely the whole trip to the guild. He hoped that was enough to break the thick denseness of hers. He loves spending time with Lucy. He would always care for her more than a nakama, but she never realized his special treatments. He kept thinking about Lucy until he fell asleep and dreaming about her almost every single day. And before long, he arrived at the guild."Guys! Mira! I **NEED** your help!"

.  
..

.

The next day, Natsu got up excitedly and rushed to take a bath. He ordered Happy to go to the guild after they took a breakfast. He quickly ran to her apartment. He can't wait to see Lucy. He thought about what she will wear, how will she dressed, her makeup, her hairstyle, and her expression. He imagine that cute face getting as red as Erza's hair.

He arrived at her apartment, and jumped through the window. He heard water running from the bathroom, so he sneaked to her room.

Minutes later, Lucy came out of the bath and dressed neatly with a knee-length light blue sundress. Her hair was tied in a cute messy bun. When she checked her writing desk, there's a pink note lying, waited to be read.

 _Luce! I know you would check here before leaving your room!_

 _You said you'll play with me, right? So I have a game to play! And guess what? I got the guys at_ _guild to play, even out of Fairy Tail is playing too! Isn't that awesome?_

 _So, the game's simple. You will search for a pink note like this with each guys. They will give you either some things or simple questions to retrieve an envelope. And it will lead you to our date location, so if you want to see me soon, you should finish this ASAP! I can't wait to see you!_

 _Oh and the first hint is the guild. Good luck Luce!_

 _Love,  
Natsu 'the most amazing and powerful wizard in the world' Dragneel_

Lucy sighed and went to the guild.

Lucy opened the guild door, and found it quite peaceful and... Empty. Maybe Natsu make half of the guild to play with him. She walked slowly to the bar, and was greeted by our lovely Mirajane."Oh Lucy! Your first hint is with someone here!" Mira said cheerfully. _Too_ cheerful. "Umm... So I have to guess?" Lucy asked hesitantly. Mira just gave her a nod, and her sweet but creepy smile never leave her face. Lucy looks around to find 'someone' suspicious in there. She saw Elfman, Macao, Reedus, Charle and Wendy, Wakaba- wait, Wendy? She loves to play and help, especially help that idiot pinky. Maybe she should ask Wendy.

"Umm... Wendy, are you the one who had the first hint?" Lucy asked with her sweet and gentle smile. "Yup! You guessed correctly! Wow, I think you'll be there quickly, Lucy-san!" Wendy beamed her cheerful smile. "So what's the first game?" Lucy asked curiously. "Well, it's the first stop, so I'll just give you the question. What's the most precious thing Igneel gave to Natsu-san?" Wendy asked. "His scarf." Lucy answered simply. "Correct. Here's the item and the letter. Put it on!" Wendy gave her **Natsu's scarf**. She can't believe he use his most precious thing in a silly game like this. She hesitantly put it on and read the letter.

 _I know you're shocked, but don't worry, I told Wendy to give it to you. So you'll be the MOST precious thing to me._

 _Here's the hint!  
It's cold and annoying. You'll find him at the ice cream stand near the pool._

 _Love,  
Natsu_

Well at least he didn't exaggerate with the name. "Oh and take this. Keep it and don't open it until the end. Good luck!" The girl gave Lucy an envelope, a number 1 was on its cover. Then she left the guild to the next place.

She had arrived at the pool and currently searching for an ice cream stand or a stripping guy with the guild's mark on his chest. The only thing she spotted was a blue haired girl stalking behind a wall- wait, is that Juvia? When there's Juvia in stalking mode, then that means Gray was near so- There he is!

"Gray!" Lucy ran to him, and he's- selling ice cream? She holds her laugh as he scooped a pink ice cream to the cone and hand it to her. "Here, the fire breath told me to give it to you. The _strawberry_ one." He said in his shirtless glory. "Thanks. So what's the question?" She asked as she licked the ice cream.

"What's the color of the ice cream?" He asked absentmindedly. "Umm... Pink. Duh." Lucy said innocently. "Right. What's the flame head hair color?" He asked again. "Pink. But he called it salmon." Lucy bit her cone. "What are your favorite color and also your guild mark color?" He asked, shoving Juvia who gotten too close to him. "Pink and pink. I thought you were smarter than Natsu." Lucy asked innocently, tilting her head a little. "I _am_." He said, obviously irritated."So what's the meaning of those questions?" Lucy asked swallowing her last piece of ice cream. "Just reminding you. Here's the letter." Gray handed her the _pink_ letter and read it.

 _Pink.  
You love pink.  
I'm pink.  
So that means you love me._

 _Yeayy!_

 _Here's the next hint:_  
 _Mira's white sister and the bookworm. Find her at the dress shop besides the library._

 _Good luck!  
Love,  
Natsu_

She walks to the exit, Juvia ran to her "Lucy-san! This is the second envelope! Good luck!" That's rare. Juvia _never_ , I mean _NEVER_ that nice for her around Gray. She shrugged it off and went to the next one.

She walked through the shopping district, searching for the library or the girls. She found a glimpse of white and blue inside a dress shop, and when she looks to the right, there's the library.

"Oh Lu-Chan! You look pretty!" Levy squished her in a hug. "Thanks. So what's the game?" Lucy asked the girls. "Just to be clear, my game is separated from Levy's, so you got two games here!" Lissana stated. "So my game first. Natsu has bought you a dress, and the dress is in here somewhere. So you have to guess it! The hint of the dress is red, and Natsu-ish." She finished.

Lucy strolled around, thinking hard from all this dresses, which was the most Natsu's type? She found some red dresses, but her feelings said it's not the one. She strolled a little more, and she found this one dress, really similar to the dress she once wear when she first meet Natsu and that ball mission, but it has a different touch to it-good different. It's more stylish but simple, the color is oviously red and got darker at its end and it has a little gold here and there. Really Natsu-ish. "This one...?" Lucy showed the dress to Lissana.

"Correct. Please put them on! And don't worry, I'll take your current dress to the guild." Lissana shoved her to the fitting room. She felt a blush creeping up to her cheeks as she looks herself in the mirror. This morning, she already looked great. But now, it's great in a whole new level. And Natsu's scarf made her so... Natsu-ish. "You look gorgeous!" Lissana squealed as she gave Lucy a bear hug. She gave her the note, and read it.

 _I bet you look wonderful.  
You can easily guess my type, because you are my type._

 _Here's the hint:  
Where's Levy?_

 _Love,  
Natsu_

Where could Levy- oh right. The library. She thanked Lissana once more before leaving the store. "Here's the envelope! Good luck Lucy!" Lissana gave her the last parting before she left the shop.

Lucy scanned through the library, searching for the bookworm friend of hers. She looked to the novel shelf and found her, stacks of books were around her, hiding her petite figure. The books were all either _pink_ , or _red_. It's Natsu-related color. "Levy! So what's your game?" Lucy asked, as she scanned the books. She caught some books had pictures of _Dragons_ . And that's another Natsu-related thing. "Here's the game. Natsu has somehow had an interest in a book, and the book is somewhere inside those stacks of books. The hint is _Dragon_. Good luck Lu-chan!" Levy scanned the books, her first attempt is finding a book with dragon pictures as its cover. ' _The_ _Fiery Dragon. No, it won't be that plain. Princess and the Dragon. Nah, too plain either. Which one is it? Well I'll just take it to her.'_ Lucy thought. As she walks to Levy, she saw a dark red book, no picture on the cover, but it looks really inviting and Natsu-ish. She read the title, _Dragon's Mate_. She examined it carefully, and took it with her. She walked to Levy, avoiding the books.

"I think it's one of these three." Lucy said, placing the books in front of the petite girl. "Which one?" Levy asked, smirking slightly. "Can you give me at least one more hint?" Lucy asked. "Well... okay. You won't believe it, but the book is about romance." Levy said, a little exaggerating. ' _Romance, huh? Never thought Natsu of all people would be interested in_ romance _story.'_ Lucy thought. She then point her finger at the dark red book, _Dragon's Mate_.

"Correct. Here's the letter!" She gave her the letter, and she read it.

 _I bet you won't believe it that I actually had an interest in a book. Well I'll tell you later._

 _Here's the next hint!  
She's from another guild. She was a member of Grimoire, now she's in an independent guild. Find her in front of the ice ring._

 _Love,  
Natsu_

"Thanks Levy!" Lucy took her leave, but before she's too far, Levy shouted "oh yeah, here's the envelope! Good luck Lu-chan!" Lucy got curious. What was inside the envelopes and what's up with the numbers? Oh well, she'll find out as the game ends anyway.

She wandered in front of the ice ring, but no familiar face was seen. Suddenly, she felt a tap on her shoulder. "Ultear!" Lucy squeaked. "You're in the game?" Lucy asked. "Yeah, Natsu persuade Jellal to make us a part of the game. Well, now let's get started." Ultear gave her a sweet smile.

"This game's a riddle. It's puffy, it's pink. When Natsu with it, you got mad. It's yours and Natsu love it more than his own. What's that?" Ultear finished the riddle. Lucy thinks hard about it. _'Puffy? A pillow? Yeah! I have a pillow. But I won't be mad over a pillow. Oh I know!'_ Lucy thought. "Is it my bed?" Lucy guessed. "Correct! I thought you guys were innocent, but I guess wrong." Ultear smirked. "It's not like that!" Lucy cried, her cheeks a little pink. "Yeaaah right. Here, take this." Ultear gave her the pink notes and envelope.

 _I love your bed!  
But don't worry, I love you more, Luce._

 _Here's the next hint.  
Alzack's wife. Meet her in the gun shop._

 _Love,  
Natsu_

"Good luck, Lucy." Ultear gave her a last sweet smile. "Thanks!" Lucy waved and left.

"Bisca!" Lucy waved and ran to her. She's holding Asuka, with a smile on both mother and daughter. "Lucy!" You're quite early." The shooter waved back. "Really?" Lucy was quite proud of herself. "Yeah. But don't worry, I think you'll be here quite awhile." Bisca smirked. "Why?" Lucy got a little nervous. "You'll see. Back to the game. You see that pyramid of cans right there? It's around 25 cans. You have to take down at least 15 in 3 shots. Can you do it?" Bisca explained. "I'll give it a shot." Lucy was determined. She can't fail. If she fails, that means she let Natsu down, and she doesn't want that. "Okay, let's get the game started!" Bisca hand her the gun.

' _I can take down all of it in one or two shots._ ' Lucy thought. She aimed at the bottom row. She pulls the trigger, and releases it, the bullet bounced off by the force and took down 5 of it. "One per 3 shots. Twenty to go!" Bisca counted. It's harder than she thought. The next shot, she aim a little lower from the bottom row. She pulled the trigger again, and releases it. She got 6 down and shot again. Another 8 down."Great! You did it! You take 19 down! Here's the letter and envelope! Good luck, Lucy!" Bisca waved at her. Lucy left while reading the letter.

 _Luce! You did it!  
I'm sorry if that's kind of difficult._

 _Here's the hint:  
She's a demon in a woman's body. You'll see her in the cheesecake cafe._

 _Love,  
Natsu_

 _'Red head girl, red head girl... Aha! There she is! She's with- a guy?'_ Lucy walks towards her. "Erza!" She called. "Oh Lucy!" Erza turn to greet her. "Hey Lucy." Jellal greet her sheepishly under the hood. "Hi guys. I'm sorry if I interrupted your date." Lucy said. "NO NO NO NO! Lucy we were just waiting for you." Erza said, trying to keep it cool. "So here's my game. Find Natsu's favorite cheesecake flavor." Erza said simply, while Jellal took the cakes out. "So Jellal, you're not in the game?" Lucy asked. "Nope. I'm just accompanying Erza." He smiled at her, finished arranging the cakes. "You get to taste one time per one cake." Erza said with her stern tone.

Lucy tasted the first cake. _'Hmm… strawberry, like Erza's favorite one_.' As she tasted it, she glanced at Erza who was looking at the first cake while drooling. _'Yep, definitely Erza's favorite.'_ Then she tasted the second cake. _'It's spicy but sweet and oddly delicious.'_ Then she tasted the last. _'It's spicy and salty, with a little minty. Kind of delicious.'_

"So, which one's the answer?" Erza asked, once in a while glancing at the first cake. Lucy thinks about it for a moment. _'The first one is out of the answer, since its Erza's favorite one and not spicy.'_ Lucy thought. _'But Natsu don't like mint, and sweet is his thing. Although I personally like the third one, but Natsu's favorite must be the second one!'_ Lucy decided. "The second one is his favorite." Lucy said, not a bit hesitated. Erza smiled and nodded. "You're correct. You may have this letter." Erza gave her the pink letter. "Oh, and here's the… Wait… Jellal, where's the little envelope?" Erza searched through her pockets. "This one?" Jellal took out the envelope with number 7 on it. "Yeah, thanks. And here's the envelope, Lucy. Good luck!" Erza smiled genuinely. "Thanks Erza, Jellal! Sorry for interrupting your date!" Lucy said while leaving the café. She opened the letter.

 _I hate mint  
Mint is cold, like Gray  
But I love sweet  
Sweet is just like you  
That's why I like sweet  
Because you're so sweet_

 _Alright, here's the hint:  
She has pink wavy hair. Also not from the guild. Find her at the family restaurant at the end of the street._

 _Love,  
Natsu_

Lucy walks through the end of shopping district, and found a restaurant right in the corner. She saw a glimpse of pink hair, munching on her chicken thigh.

"Meredyyy!" Lucy ran to the pinknette under the hood. "Hey Lucy! Ready for your games?" She gulped the rest of the chicken tight. "Yup!" Lucy said excitedly. "So the game is, you'll have to guess which is Natsu-san's favorite." Meredy explained while putting up three fire chickens. "HOW?!" Lucy sweatdropped. "I dunno. He told me only the game rules, not how to play the game." Meredy shrugged. ' _Maybe by the looks? But it all looks the same._ _And no way am I gonna eat it.' Lucy thought, trying to find a way to guess it._

"I can't pick. The three of it looked exactly like what Natsu likes to eat and I'm not gonna burn my mouth just to taste it." Lucy gave up. "Well, you're correct." Meredy stated simply. Lucy was speechless for a moment, processing what Meredy just said. "WHAT?!" Lucy shouted. "I don't even know what this game means. Here's the letter and the envelope." Meredy said while handing the items. "Good luck on finding him!" Meredy smiled and wave at her while Lucy making her way to the exit. "Thanks!" Lucy said before closing the door.

 _I remember when we first met  
You already bought me food  
Lots and lots of food  
Even though we're still a stranger to eachother  
But now, you're the closest person in my life_

 _Next hint!  
He's a dragonslayer, just like me. Find him at the bar._

 _Love,  
Natsu_

As Lucy walked into the bar, she didn't even need to search. She sweatdropped as she watched Gajeel as he _tried_ to sing on the stage. Just then, he called her to the stage. "Bunny girl! Nice timing. Be a real bunny and dance for me up here!" Gajeel called with his microphone. "No way! Can't you see I'm wearing a dress? Just hurry up and give me the letters!" Lucy shouted from the front door.

"Well if you want that letter, you've gotta dance." Gajeel said while smirking. "You've got to be kidding me, Natsu." Lucy grumbled under her breath. She got on the stage and dance for the rest of the that, Gajeel gave her the letter and the envelope. "Dance for me again next time, bunny girl." He said, as he left for the stage again. Lucy just sweatdropped and left the bar.

 _It's really weird seeing you dance  
But then again, you are weird  
So maybe it's normal for you  
But I like it weird  
It's cute and funny  
I like weird  
I like _your _weird_

 _Next hint!  
Find the manliest man at the flower shop at the edge of the town_

 _Love,  
Natsu_

"Elfman!" Lucy called, spotting the big man with an apron in front of the shop. "There you are Lucy. The sun's almost set, so I thought you weren't manly enough to make it before sunset." Elfman said. "I'm not a man. And by the way, what are you doing here?" Lucy asked. "I got a job here with Ever." He answered a little bit sheepish.

"Anyway, Natsu has bought you a bouque of unmanly flower. Pick which one." Elfman said, as he brought 3 bouquets of flower up to the table. The bouquets contained 3 different colors. The first bouquet was blue, white, and yellow. The second one was red, pink, and purple. The last one was white, orange, and red. Lucy picked the last one.

"Why did you pick this one?" Evergreen showed up from the shop. "Well, I guess it reminded me Natsu the most." Lucy said, looking at the flowers while smiling softly. "Good enough for me. Here's the letter and envelope. Now go, your dragon is waiting." Evergreen gave her the items. Lucy thanked her and read the pink letter.

 _Do you like the flowers I picked for you?  
I don't know which one you like so I just pick whatever I like and combine it_

 _You really remind me of flowers  
Pretty and smelled nice too  
But I think you're prettier than any flowers  
And smelled nicer than flowers too_

 _Next hint!  
This is the last one. He's a playboy. Find him at the outdoor cafè near the hills_

 _Love,  
Natsu_

Lucy walked into the cafe, then she searched for her supposed last guy. As she went to the outdoor place, he find a playboy which she knows very well and very close.

"Finally! I almost thought you weren't gonna show up, princess." The orange haired playboy greeted her. "How- when did you get here? You're opening your own gate right?" Lucy asked. "Of course. I don't want to be a burden for my princess." Loke took her hand and the flowers and brought it up. "Let's just get started, Loke." Lucy said pulling her hands down and placed the flowers on the table. "Okay. This is a little tricky. Which kind of Lucy Natsu like the most? A determined Lucy, an embarassed Lucy, or a happy Lucy?" Loke asked."What the- what kind of question is that?!" Lucy's face brightened. "Just pick, princess." Loke said. "Well, if I must pick, I think it's the happy me." Lucy answered. "Nope." Loke replied. "Then which one?" Lucy lift one of her eyebrow. "I kinda agreed with Natsu's answer. He like any kind of you." Loke answered, handing her the envelope. "Now, I will take you to where Natsu is. You ready princess?" Loke stand up, offering his hand to her. "Ready whenever you are." Lucy replied, taking his hand with a smile.

As they arrived at the top of the hill, the sun has set and Lucy spotted a familiar blue cat sitting alone.

Weird.

"Happy! Where's Natsu?" Lucy asked, running to his spot. "Oh, Natsu! Lucy's finally here!" Happy called the fiery guy. The said man showed up from behind a tree while carrying what looks like a picnic basket. He was wearing a black shirt with his sleeve rolled up to his elbow and a dress pants. Something she rarely seen."Well now our job is done. Happy! Let's go! I'll buy you some fish." Loke called the smaller cat. "Really? Then, have fun Natsu, Lucy!" Happy said as he walk away with Loke.

"Well you look different. It's nice." Lucy said, as she walk to the place where Happy sat, just a moment ago. "Really? Mira picked it for me." Natsu said, rubbing the back of his neck. "Mira also write the letters. But the words are from me! She just wrote it for me because I can't really write." Natsu explained. "Well okay then. Let's just eat. I'm hungry." Lucy sat down on the mat, while Natsu sat beside her and brought the foods out from the basket. "Let me guess, Mira made this?" Lucy raised one of her eyebrow. "Of course! I can't make something as complicated as this." Natsu said with his mouth full. Lucy just giggled at his antique and continue eating.

When they finish, they just sat down with a comfortable silence for a moment. Natsu was the first one to break the silence."Luce, do you have all of the envelope?" Natsu asked. Lucy brought out all of the envelope from her purse. "Now open it according to the number and place it here." Natsu brought out a paper with empty squares on it and put it at the back of the picnic cloth. Lucy do as Natsu instructed her. "Why is it the name of the guys wo gave the envelopes?" Lucy asked as she placed the first name on the empty square part. "Just do as I say." Natsu replied with a grin.

As she finished placing them all, Natsu suddenly burn the names and gave Lucy a bucket of water to put it out. "Natsu! Why did you do that?!" Lucy frowned, as her dress almost got burned from the fire. "Read." Natsu commanded. "Read...?" Lucy wondered as she looked at the names again, each name only left one letter.

 **WILL U BE MINE?**

"Natsu!" Lucy gasped and turned to the dragonslayer. He was facing the other way while scratching his cheek, a faint blush adorned to his face. "You planned all this?" Lucy asked, still shocked. "Well, Mira and Levy was the one who planned all this, but I did my fair share too!" Natsu replied, still not facing her.

"So what's the answer?" Natsu asked, finally looking at her in the eyes. "Answer to what?" Lucy asked dumbfounded. "To _that_!" Natsu pointed at the letters. "Will you? Or you still need time?" Natsu asked directly. Lucy blushed at this. "Well... I'd love to be yours, Natsu." She finally answered, with blushes still adorning her face, she smiled genuinely at the man beside her. Hearing his long awaited answer, Natsu grinned and hug her tightly. They sat still in silence, Lucy still in his arm.

"Hey Luce." Natsu started. "Mhm?" Lucy shifted to look at his face. "Can I kiss you?" Natsu asked innocently. Her face brightened and nodded softly. Then, he brought his face closer to her as their lips clashed softly. It was short but sweet, and Lucy just wondered if it's all a dream.

"I've wanted to do that for ages." Natsu whispered as their lips separated. "Really? How long?" Lucy asked in disbelieve. "Since we got back from Edolas, I think." Natsu answered simply. "And now that I've tasted it, I don't think I will ever get enough of it." Natsu said while tightening his hand on her as they watched the sky together.

.

.

.

"Hey Natsu." Lucy started.

"Did you smell something's burning?" Natsu stiffened at both looked backwards and saw the trees are on fire.

"NATSUUUUU!"

 _A/N: I can't write the ending so please forgive me if it's bad._

 _Please rate and review!_


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